“I guess we’ll see if that’s true.”
It took me all of two seconds to register her words before I reached behind her head and pulled her to me. Slamming my mouth to hers, I begged silently for her to open for me. She did, a soft moan as Rae’s tongue touched my own. Her hands went around my back as I tilted my head for better access. Gripping Rae’s hair at the nape of her neck, I pulled her even closer. Showing her how much I wanted her. Telling her with my mouth, my tongue, that she was different.
She was mine.
Pushing the disturbing thought away, I moaned, unable to stop from growing hard. From wanting more. But I wouldn’t press her. This kiss had already grown wildly out of control. Rae kissed exactly like I would have expected. As if her mouth were made for me. As if her passion would be unmatched, if we took this further. Which I would in a heartbeat.
Except.
I’ve had my heart broken by guys like you, Marco. It really sucks.
I hadn’t been with a woman whose heart I didn’t break. And couldn’t promise Rae this would be any different. Even if I wanted it to be. Even if she was.
I wanted to pull away. To do the right thing. But her hands slipped just then from my back to my backside, and I just couldn't break this kiss. Pressing into her hands, my other hand joined the first as I held Rae’s head firmly between them.
I was lost inside her. And it was just a kiss.
Tearing away from Rae was harder than my cock at that moment. But another few seconds ,and I’d be tearing off her clothes in the middle of Freddie’s gazebo.
Heart hammering, my hands only steady because they were tangled in the waves of Rae’s hair, I tried to make sense of what had just happened.
I guess we’ll see if that’s true.
As we stared at one another, a million thoughts ran through my head. Responses I silently discarded. None of them did that kiss justice.
So when Rae let out a breath as if she was on mile nineteen of a marathon, in July, midday, I not only understood, I did the same. And didn’t argue with her when Rae said, “We should probably get going.”
Rattled, I agreed. “Yeah, we probably should.”
Reluctantly, I dropped my hands, the loss of Rae’s body heat like ripping off the towel when walking from a steamy bathroom to an air-conditioned bedroom.
TWENTY-TWO
rae
I hated myself.
For not telling Jerry to fuck off. For kissing Marco. For caring he hadn’t reached out since Thursday night. For not knowing what I wanted.
Tossing myself into work for the past day and a half, making the changes Jerry told me I had no authority to make but refusing to stand idly by when I saw things that could be improved, it was now time to pay the piper.
As agreed last week, I’d begin my “shadowing” again today since both of us were swamped on Saturdays. Last night, after the final cruise docked, I sat on the back deck, wine in hand, and called Alanna. My brother. Anyone who would listen, as I tried to work everything through. Min had even texted asking if I wanted to go into town. Which normally I’d have loved to do except...how could I face her after caving in the night before? Had Marco told his siblings?
I was just about to get out of bed when a text came through.
It was Marco.
Slight emergency over here. Can we postpone until this afternoon?
The pit of disappointment in my stomach was as unwelcome as the constant replay in my head of that kiss. It had been everything I imagined kissing him would be like. He was an expert, after all. Lots and lots of practice.
Of course. Keep me posted. Hope all is ok!
With only a thumbs up as a response, I pretended it was fine. That everything was fine, and went about my day. By lunchtime, still no word from Marco. Which was also totally fine.
“Hey boss.” I hadn’t even seen Brien come into the tasting room. “Check this out.”
I moved to the edge of the tasting bar, away from customers, to look at his phone. “Have you seen the forecast?”